Blazers are usually the staple for a work meeting, but the look is best dressed down IMO. Add in a killer heel, a white tee and voila: THE WEEKEND OUTFIT! I partnered with TOBI to try their latest collection. What is best about TOBI is that they understand the 2017 woman is all about having a tight wardrobe as we are too busy traveling, donating to causes, and being the ultimate boss!

It is Wednesday, peeps, and you know what that means: Women Crush Wednesday! Today’s post is real estate professional/blogger: Victoria “Vickie” Gousse. Vickie happens to be one my best friends. We met in high school and have remained close friends to this day. We ran our school like Serena and Blair in Gossip Girl. Well, at least, in our heads we did, ha ha! She was the Wilma to my Betty, the Ethel to my Lucy, and the Gina to my Pam. She was my partner in crime and I am so grateful to have her in my life after all of these years.

When we graduated, Vickie went on to study at Fordham University and has worked in the real estate industry for 10 years. She is absolutely amazing and I am very excited to share her story with you and tell you exactly what makes her rad! Vickie has had great success as a real estate professional in her career. However, that is not all, she also has a blog where she writes about real estate as well as fashion. With the oversaturation of the fashion blog, this one brilliant, merging two very different genres together. I encourage all of you to go read, you will fall in love with it and learn in the process!

Now, if those are not enough reasons for Vickie to be my Woman Crush Wednesday, I have a few more for you. She is one of the few people who will still call me out if I need it. Let's be honest, we all need an awesome friend like her in our lives. I admire her so much. In a nutshell, she is driven, kind, beautiful, and creative. In between both of us coercing the other to get that “must have item of the week” lol, we managed to pull this Q & A together, enjoy!

O.C.O: Why real estate? What about the industry gave you a connection "BAM" this is what I want to do?

V.G: I started my real estate career as a temp in college, doing marketing for Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects in NYC. When I discovered the lengths that cities and states go to, in order help developers create affordable housing for those in need, I thought it was very special and something that I wanted to incorporate into my career. Its not just real estate, its public policy, and it directly impacted the quality of people's lives.

O.C.O: How do you keep a balance of being fashionable, yet dressing appropriate for the work place?

V.G: The basics of being fashionable is to know who you are and how you want to project yourself to the world. From there, invest in some business wear basics such as a good blazer, high-waisted slacks, and a great watch. Keep it conservative and don't over-accessorize- I'd say that's a good place to start.

O.C.O: What made you decide to start your blog?

V.G: I have a very creative spirit, and it comes across in the way I dress and the way I work everyday. So I wanted to find a way to bring real estate concepts to audiences in a way that was stylish, contemporary, and that incorporated my love of fashion.

O.C.O: With shows like the Million Dollar Listing Franchise inspiring many to draw their hand in the real estate game, do you think this is helping or hurting the real estate industry?

V.G: It certainly makes real estate brokerage more entertaining than I ever imagined! And it’s also helping to recruit lots of aspiring real estate dealmakers and professionals.

O.C.O: Last article of clothing/accessory you have purchased?

V.G: A matching 2 piece knit top and wide legged pant from Zara. The pants fit like a glove and the fabric feels so smooth, I can't wait until the weather is cool enough to wear them.

O.C.O: What/Who inspires you?

V.G: Being in New York City everyday inspires me. The mixture of old and new architecture, the unique economic drivers behind real estate projects and the availability of the best in design and fashion really keeps me inspired to do and learn more everyday.

O.C.O: What advice would you give someone who wants to break into the world of real estate?

V.G: Do your research. When people think of real estate, they may only imagine the work of a real estate agent. But the real estate industry is vast, spanning from property managers, real estate developers, fund managers, asset managers, lawyers, and accountants to residential and commercial real estate brokers that help us lease, buy and sell all the properties you see around you. Each of these professions requires different skills and education levels. So I would recommend they do research to determine their areas of interest, read the real estate publications and familiarize themselves with the movers and shakers in those fields.

O.C.O: Outlets like Refinery 29 and Time Out NY are writing about real estate developments and the glamour of them. Where do you see the real estate industry in the next 5-10 years?

V.G: In order to keep buildings close to full occupancy at all times, real estate owners are relying more and more on technology to find their next tenants, to manage revenue and to keep marketing efforts going. I see the industry increasingly merging technology and social media into their operating platforms.

O.C.O: Favorite Vickie/Kosi moment in High School? ;)

V.G: Doing our stage rendition of the "PopStars" audition in our senior year, we were competing for who's V.G: the best member of the group and your name was "Koko Shavita-Jones", I crack up everytime I think about it!

Happy June people! We are halfway into the year and 3 weeks into summer. I can't wait to bake on the beach, catch a free film at Bryant Park, and run through the sprinklers with my niece's and nephew's!

So why am I in a leather and lace mood then? The materials do scream fall and winter for many but not me! I guess one reason is because I have been listening to Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna album a lot. She's so rad, my favorite song from the album Leather and Lace. The lyrics are raw, the melody so simple, they don't make songs much less love songs like that anymore, what a shame!

My latest "Into The Mind" set has me in a leather and lace mood for work. I have been running around like Olivia Pope lately for work and want to upgrade my work attire yet be whimsical at the same time hence the Nike's and silk comic tee. Breaking up the black and white with gold jewelry has always been a personal fav to keep the outfit feminine and warm.